At the Labour conference in Manchester Rachel Reeves, Labour MP for Leeds West and Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury today announced Preston was amongst eight Labour-controlled local authorities on their way to becoming accredited a Living Wage Employer.

Reeves announced the list, which makes Preston the party’s first northern authority to achieve the status, and said:

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‘When Ed Miliband talks about an economy that works for working people, some people ask what that means in practical terms. Well now we’re going to talk about a very concrete example. The campaign for a living wage that’s been built by trade unions, community groups, and our own Labour Students, and increasingly taken up by far-sighted employers, give us a great example of the kind of change we want to see, and the kind of difference it can make to people’s lives. The argument for a living wage is moral and economic.

It’s based on the belief that work should bring the dignity of a decent wage – enough to keep a family out of poverty and debt’.

Coun Matthew Brown, Preston’s Cabinet member for community engagement and inclusion said:

‘Preston City Council was one of the first authorities to embrace the living wage, which we now pay to all staff. We also encourage contractors and other local businesses to do the same.

I am delighted Preston is one of the authorities on the way to receiving this accreditation, which marks our achievement in this area’.